The Western Cape administration has voiced concerns about the number of criminal cases that are sliding through the cracks.
According to the provincial Department of Police Oversight, between October 2022 and March 2023, a whopping 283 cases monitored over this time period were stricken off the court roll due to inefficiencies by the South African Police Service (Saps).
The cases, which were linked to 82 Saps stations across the province, were watched in 33 Western Cape courts.
Among the many courts observed were those in Khayelitsha, Bishop Lavis, Blue Downs, Mitchells Plain, Atlantis, Oudtshoorn, and Knysna.
Reagen Allen, MEC for Community Safety in the Western Cape According to Reagen Allen, 77 of the 283 incidents involved gender-based violence (GBV).
Allen further stated that 22 of these cases were abandoned because the dockets were not present in court, and 48 GBV cases were withdrawn owing to an incomplete investigation.
“These statistics paint a very bleak picture, which deeply disturbs me, especially given that these are real people who have been horribly let down by the South African Police Service and the entire criminal justice system.”